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holiday-travel-app/TERMINAL_USAGE_GUIDE.md

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Holiday Travel App - Terminal Usage Guide

This guide shows you how to use the Holiday Travel App entirely from the terminal using PowerShell commands (no web browser needed).

Prerequisites

Make sure the development server is running:

cd "d:\Projects\Dev\Holiday Travel App"
npm run dev

The server will be available at http://localhost:4000

Example 1: Basic Caribbean Search

Search for flights from Ottawa to Caribbean destinations for a holiday trip:

# Create the search criteria
$searchData = @{
    origin = "YOW"
    destinations = @("CUN", "PUJ", "MBJ")  # Cancun, Punta Cana, Montego Bay
    startDate = "2025-12-15"
    endDate = "2026-01-15"
    tripLengthMin = 5
    tripLengthMax = 9
    budget = 1000
    currency = "CAD"
    nonStopOnly = $false
    sources = @("Deals", "Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights", "AirCanada")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

# Send the request
$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $searchData -ContentType "application/json"

# View all results
$response.results

# View just the first 5 results
$response.results | Select-Object -First 5 | Format-Table title, source, price, nights

Example 2: Budget-Friendly European Search

Looking for cheap flights to Europe with non-stop preference:

$euroSearch = @{
    origin = "YYZ"  # Toronto
    destinations = @("LHR", "CDG", "FCO", "BCN")  # London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona
    startDate = "2026-06-01"
    endDate = "2026-07-15"
    tripLengthMin = 7
    tripLengthMax = 14
    budget = 800
    currency = "CAD"
    nonStopOnly = $true
    sources = @("Deals", "Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights", "AirCanada")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$euroResults = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $euroSearch -ContentType "application/json"

# Show only deals under $750
$euroResults.results | Where-Object { $_.price -lt 750 } | Format-Table

Example 3: Quick Weekend Getaway

Short trips, flexible on destinations:

$weekendSearch = @{
    origin = "YUL"  # Montreal
    destinations = @("NYC", "BOS", "YYZ", "YOW")  # New York, Boston, Toronto, Ottawa
    startDate = "2025-11-15"
    endDate = "2025-12-15"
    tripLengthMin = 2
    tripLengthMax = 4
    currency = "CAD"
    nonStopOnly = $false
    sources = @("Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights", "AirCanada")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$weekendResults = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $weekendSearch -ContentType "application/json"

# Display results grouped by destination
$weekendResults.results | Group-Object destination | Format-Table Count, Name

Example 4: Deal Sites Only (No Link Generation)

Only fetch from curated deal sites like YOWDeals, YYZDeals, etc.:

$dealsOnly = @{
    origin = "YVR"  # Vancouver
    destinations = @("HNL", "LAX", "SEA")  # Hawaii, LA, Seattle
    startDate = "2026-02-01"
    endDate = "2026-03-31"
    tripLengthMin = 5
    tripLengthMax = 10
    sources = @("Deals")  # Only deal sites
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$dealsResults = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $dealsOnly -ContentType "application/json"

$dealsResults.results | Format-List

Example 5: Export Results to CSV

Save search results to a CSV file for further analysis:

$searchData = @{
    origin = "YYC"  # Calgary
    destinations = @("LAX", "LAS", "PHX")
    startDate = "2026-01-15"
    endDate = "2026-02-28"
    tripLengthMin = 5
    tripLengthMax = 7
    budget = 600
    currency = "CAD"
    sources = @("Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$results = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $searchData -ContentType "application/json"

# Export to CSV
$results.results | Export-Csv -Path "travel_deals_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd').csv" -NoTypeInformation

Write-Host "Results exported to travel_deals_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd').csv"

Example 6: Filter and Sort Results

Advanced filtering and sorting:

$searchData = @{
    origin = "YOW"
    destinations = @("MCO", "FLL", "TPA")  # Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa
    startDate = "2026-03-01"
    endDate = "2026-04-15"
    tripLengthMin = 6
    tripLengthMax = 9
    currency = "CAD"
    sources = @("Deals", "Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights", "AirCanada")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$results = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $searchData -ContentType "application/json"

# Filter: Only show results with prices
$withPrices = $results.results | Where-Object { $null -ne $_.price }

# Sort by price (cheapest first)
$sortedByPrice = $withPrices | Sort-Object price

# Display top 10 cheapest
$sortedByPrice | Select-Object -First 10 | Format-Table title, price, currency, nights, source

Example 7: Compare Multiple Sources

Get results and compare which source provides the most deals:

$compareSearch = @{
    origin = "YEG"  # Edmonton
    destinations = @("YVR", "YYC", "YWG")
    startDate = "2025-12-01"
    endDate = "2026-01-31"
    tripLengthMin = 3
    tripLengthMax = 5
    sources = @("Skyscanner", "GoogleFlights", "AirCanada")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$compareResults = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $compareSearch -ContentType "application/json"

# Count results by source
$compareResults.results | Group-Object source | Select-Object Name, Count | Sort-Object Count -Descending

Example 8: Use with cURL (Alternative to PowerShell)

If you prefer using curl in PowerShell:

curl.exe -X POST "http://localhost:4000/api/search" `
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" `
  -d '{
    "origin": "YOW",
    "destinations": ["CUN", "PUJ"],
    "startDate": "2025-12-20",
    "endDate": "2026-01-10",
    "tripLengthMin": 7,
    "tripLengthMax": 10,
    "budget": 900,
    "currency": "CAD",
    "sources": ["Deals", "Skyscanner"]
  }'

Understanding the Response

The API returns JSON with this structure:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "unique-id",
      "title": "Ottawa → Cancun (7 nights)",
      "source": "Skyscanner Link",
      "link": "https://www.skyscanner.ca/...",
      "price": 685,
      "currency": "CAD",
      "startDate": "2025-12-20",
      "endDate": "2025-12-27",
      "nights": 7,
      "origin": "YOW",
      "destination": "CUN",
      "stops": null,
      "score": 9815
    }
  ]
}

Available Airport Codes (Examples)

  • Canada: YOW (Ottawa), YYZ (Toronto), YUL (Montreal), YVR (Vancouver), YYC (Calgary), YEG (Edmonton)
  • USA: NYC (New York), LAX (Los Angeles), MIA (Miami), ORD (Chicago), SEA (Seattle)
  • Caribbean: CUN (Cancun), PUJ (Punta Cana), MBJ (Montego Bay), NAS (Nassau)
  • Europe: LHR (London), CDG (Paris), FCO (Rome), BCN (Barcelona), AMS (Amsterdam)

Troubleshooting

Server not responding?

# Check if server is running
Get-Process -Name node -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Restart the server if needed
cd "d:\Projects\Dev\Holiday Travel App"
npm run dev

Invalid date format?

  • Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., "2025-12-31")

No results returned?

  • Try removing budget constraints
  • Set nonStopOnly to $false
  • Expand the date range
  • Add more destination options

Tips for Best Results

  1. Multiple Destinations: Add 3-5 destination codes for more options
  2. Flexible Dates: Wider date ranges (30-60 days) yield more results
  3. Trip Length Range: Use a range (e.g., 5-9 nights) instead of exact days
  4. Mix Sources: Enable all sources for comprehensive results
  5. Budget Buffer: Set budget 10-15% higher than your actual limit
  6. Off-Peak Travel: Search for shoulder seasons for better deals

Automation Example

Create a scheduled task to search daily and email results:

# search_and_notify.ps1
$searchData = @{
    origin = "YOW"
    destinations = @("CUN", "PUJ", "MBJ")
    startDate = "2026-01-15"
    endDate = "2026-02-28"
    tripLengthMin = 7
    tripLengthMax = 10
    budget = 800
    currency = "CAD"
    sources = @("Deals")
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3

$results = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $searchData -ContentType "application/json"

# Get deals under $750
$goodDeals = $results.results | Where-Object { $_.price -lt 750 }

if ($goodDeals.Count -gt 0) {
    $goodDeals | Export-Csv -Path "good_deals.csv" -NoTypeInformation
    Write-Host "Found $($goodDeals.Count) deals under $750!"
    # Add email notification here if needed
}

Run with Task Scheduler:

$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 9am
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\path\to\search_and_notify.ps1"
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "DailyTravelDeals" -Trigger $trigger -Action $action

Docker Usage

If using Docker instead of local dev server:

# Build and run
docker compose up -d

# Then use the same API calls as above
$searchData = @{ ... } | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 3
$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:4000/api/search" -Method POST -Body $searchData -ContentType "application/json"

Enjoy finding your next holiday deal from the command line! 🏖️✈️

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